Or no one can afford CD players and are afraid of being caught pirating music.

Not just 'hipsters' thinking it makes them 'cool'.

I've had a record player since about 2004. I got my first one when I was 16 and I bought a much nicer player about five years ago. Since then, I've amassed a collection of records covering a wide range of genres. I like the physical feel of an album and the process of playing them - if I put on a record, I am much more likely to listen to the whole album and enjoy it because the experience is less disposable than selecting songs from a list and jumping around.

It's also made it much easier for me to get hard-to-find music. For a lot of older (especially classical) records, there has been no digital conversion made and I can find records easily in charity shops and second-hand shops. I've bought most of my records second-hand. It's also relatively inexpensive - especially for some of the more avant-garde music I'm into (noise). There are record stores around that have a section specifically for avant-garde and I'll often find interesting albums for less than £10. It also means that I 'browse' - so even if I don't know what I'm looking for, I can find something interesting. With online purchases, I have to specifically know what it is I'm after before I can find it. That's not the case with well-stocked record stores.

I prefer the experience. I just do. I've preferred it since I was young and I think it of it as an experience rather than simply sticking on a few tracks. It's a ritual and one I enjoy immensely.